Was wondering if anybody can help on this...
If you want to fit a hood extractor in a kitchen do you need permission from the flat's freeholder? There's an extractor fan in the bathroom but i think that's because there's no window.

Assuming you want to make a hole in the external wall... then I'd say yes you should seek written permission. Best be safe rather than sorry.

I would say yes because the implications of you having an external wall vent with the wafting smell of your Balti Chicken Curry going into a nearby flat window could cause some aggro.

Hi Jinki

If you are having problems with the external vent you can purchase cooker hoods with carbon and grease filters to re-circulate in the kitchen.

Or if you go ahead with the external vent you can also fit the filters to lessen the effect of cooking smells on your neighbours.


The filters do need replacing depending on the ammount of use and can be expensive depending on the manufacturer but they do work well.


Tom

Maybe it's just me, but I really, really don't understand why anyone needs an extractor hood in a domestic kitchen unless they are a really, really bad cook and need the burnt smells to disappear.

If a kitchen has a window then I don't see a need for an extractor. In fact, I think it's a negative thing. Waking up to the smell of food cooking is so lovely that I hate to think that part of a generation of children is going to miss out on that because their parent(s) think that all smells have to be immediately removed from their home.

An extractor removes steam much more effectively than an open window.

And who wants to wake up to the smell of last night's cabbage/cauliflower/fish?

I am not keen on extractors either Joolz. I had a 'vent to outside' type and you had to have a window open when the fan was on, otherwise it sucked the air from down the chimney, causing a sooty smell. I didn't find it particular effective either.

I have also had in the past (and have now once again inherited) the type with the grease/carbon filter. Absolutely useless IMO (and the filter is brand new), makes a lot of noise but it's far more effective to open the window. It takes up valuable space - I would much have preferred another cupboard instead.

I no longer use it, and I don't wake up to smells of last night's dinner - open windows during cooking take care of it.